


Childish Things

by Im_The_Doctor (Bofur1)



Category: Video Blogging RPF, Youtube RPF
Genre: Ambiguous/Open Ending, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Authority Figures, Betrayal, Bittersweet Ending, Bullying, Canon Compliant, Caretaking, Caring, Crying, Developing Friendships, Duty, Fluff and Mush, Friends to Enemies, Kid Fic, Kindness, Kindred Spirits, Let me love this boy, Loneliness, Making Up, Multiple Selves, Protectiveness, Silver Shepherd is sorely underrated, Superheroes, Unresolved Emotional Tension
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-11-30
Updated: 2017-11-30
Packaged: 2019-02-08 17:41:11
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,196
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12869697
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Bofur1/pseuds/Im_The_Doctor
Summary: On a cold winter day much like any other, the Silver Shepherd stands up for a little girl who's being bullied. It brings some uncomfortable thoughts and feelings of his own to the surface.





	Childish Things

“You’re such a little _baby_ , Rebecca! What made you think you could ever be part of our club?! Go away!”

Too shocked and hurt to move, Rebecca simply stared at the cluster of older, prettier, fancier girls, the ones she had admired from afar ever since she transferred to her new school, the ones she’d finally, finally gotten up the courage to talk to…the ones who suddenly seemed a lot bigger than she was as they stood across from her on the playground. Why were they all frowning? What had she done wrong?

“B-But I thought we could be best friends,” she tried to explain, fumbling for her lunchbox. She had begged her mama to pack extra cookies for her to share with her new friends; maybe if she showed them, they would—

Kathryn, the leader of the group, snatched her lunchbox away before she could open it, tearing it open herself and pouring all of the food onto the ground before throwing the lunchbox as far as she could. “I said you had to go away!”

“No, no, stop!” Rebecca gasped, shifting half a step forward and then yelping as one of the other girls shoved her back.

“Go away, loser!”

“We don’t wanna be friends with a baby!”

With another hearty shove, Rebecca fell off balance, landing on her back in the nearest patch of dead leaves and old slush from the last snow. With a sob of dismay, she scrambled back upright and took off, the cruel laughter of the other girls chasing her all the way across the playground.

She only stopped when she was out of breath, whimpering and helplessly brushing at her dirtied skirt as she tried to understand what had just happened. Her eyes stung hotly and after several moments she rubbed at them too, trying to keep the tears away. Crying was for babies and she _wasn’t_ one! She could be friends with the other girls if they’d just let her!

It was only when her stomach started growling and she remembered what they had done with her lunchbox that she finally let the tears return. Try as she might, she couldn’t stop and when she rubbed her sleeve over her nose, it was muddy.

“Oh, gee, what’s going on here?” an older voice asked, causing Rebecca to jump and press against the school wall with another startled sob. After a few moments she peeked timidly up at the adult and her mouth fell open in disbelief as she recognized him.

“S-Silver Shepherd?”

“The one and only,” Shepherd assured her comfortingly, dropping to a crouch so they could look each other in the face. “Protector of the free world and all that…and who are you?”

“Rebecca…”

“Well, Rebecca, I don’t like seeing my citizens crying.”

Ashamed of herself, Rebecca lowered her eyes, scrubbing her nose again. “I’m sorry, I don’t mean to,” she murmured miserably. “It’s cos I’m a baby…”

“Oh, I don’t think so. I know a baby when I see one and you’re not—unless you’re an extra smart one,” Shepherd brushed the idea away, much to her surprise. “I just don’t like to see my citizens crying because it means someone needs my help. Can I help you?”

Rebecca hadn’t realized how desperate she was for someone to ask until everything was spilling out of her. “I just wanted to be friends with the other girls, but they were _mean_ and stole my lunch and—and they poured it on the ground and knocked me down!” she wailed. “And it’s cold and I’m hungry and I d-don’t wanna be here…I—I miss my old school…”

Before she had even finished, the hero’s big arms were wrapped around her and she had her face pressed against his chest.

“Well, that’s a lot more than any baby could handle,” he observed ruefully, trailing off and pursing his lips as some uncomfortably familiar thoughts rose to the surface.

He always did his best never to show how hurt he was when the other Egos dismissed his ideas or excluded him from their meetings altogether. He did his best to forgive and forget when Google purposely antagonized him, force a smile when Wilford made offhand jokes that weren’t funny, and grit his teeth when Dark talked down to him, as if he wasn’t one of the oldest among them.

Many of them— _most_ of them—thought he was stupid and childish. He couldn’t let that happen to her.

“Let me see what I can do to fix this,” he offered, gently pulling away and tugging his cape off his shoulders to sweep it around hers. Folds and folds of it piled up on the ground around her, swallowing her up, and she clung to it gratefully. “Still cold?”

“S’a little better,” she admitted softly, sniffling.

“That’s a start, then! Now…do you want to go talk to those girls?” Rebecca instantly paled and shrank back, shaking her head vigorously, but he was quick to remind her, “I’ll be right there, don’t you worry! And you know what? You’re wearing my cape! That makes you a superhero too, y’know.” She seemed baffled at that idea, examining the fabric uncertainly, and Shepherd tilted his head with sad kindness. “Superheroes can be brave; they _have_ to be, so they can make sure none of the jerks win.”

“But they’ll see I’ve been crying…” Rebecca confessed, her voice lowering to a guilty whisper. “They’ll call me a baby again.”

Silver Shepherd considered for a moment and then managed a half-smile. “Those girls are bigger than you, aren’t they? Well, they won’t be able to tell you cried if you’re bigger than them. C’mere.” Winding his arms around her, he lifted her and easily propped her up on his shoulder, earning a tiny gasp and a giggle that warmed his heart. “Now you’re bigger than them. Do you think you can do it now? I can help ya.”

“…Okay,” she agreed after another moment of hesitation, holding tightly to the cape fluttering behind her as Shepherd strode across the playground toward the group of girls underneath the trees they had staked as their clubhouse. Rebecca’s little heart picked up nervously as they approached, but the way the other girls startled at their arrival made her feel a little better.

“Hello there,” Shepherd greeted, staring down at them with intent authority. “I’ve just been spending some time with Rebecca here and I found out she’s a little upset. I think she has some things she’d like to say, and there are some things you ought to say too.”

By the end of the conversation, Rebecca was sandwiched between two of the larger girls with her back against the tree trunk, her shoulders hunched shyly as she accepted a gingersnap from a genuinely apologetic Kathryn.

Silver Shepherd looked on for a few more moments and then retreated, unnoticed. Wet leaves crunched underneath his feet and he shivered against the cool breeze as it picked up. If he was honest, his cape was a small sacrifice to make in favor of a much bigger victory.

He could handle the cold…He wasn’t a child. 

**Author's Note:**

> Well, November 30th is the third-month anniversary of joining the Youtube community, and here I am writing fluff that's _still angsty_ again! I think this is just my life now XD 
> 
> I see a lot of stories detailing Jackieboy's heroism, but I think Silver Shepherd often gets left by the wayside. He's just as much a hero; he's just better with the personal level than with the fights.
> 
> I hope you enjoyed! Feel free to leave a kudos or a comment down below to tell me what you thought; I'd love to hear from you!


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